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Nine Grand County businesses caught trying to sell alcohol to underaged buyers

Will BublitzSky-Hi Daily News
Byron Hetzler/Sky-Hi Daily News
ALL | Sky-Hi Daily News

Alcohol compliance checks were conducted in Grand County last weekend with even more offenders being caught than just a few months ago.In the latest compliance checks performed Friday and Saturday, April 11-12, violations of the Colorado state law prohibiting selling or serving alcohol to underaged individuals took place at nine businesses in Grand County. A total of 55 establishments were tested by the compliance checks. Along with the nine businesses that were found in violation during the compliance checks, some individuals were also caught buying alcohol for minors. During one of those two nights, authorized underage individuals contacted adults outside of liquor stores, said Sgt. Neal McQuarie of the Grand County Sheriffs Office. These adults were not associated with the liquor store. The underage individuals were able to get four adults to buy alcohol for them.The nine establishments and four individuals caught during the compliance checks were all issued court summonses.In the previous compliance checks conducted in early December, a total of seven businesses and one individual were cited for selling or purchasing alcohol for minors.Last weekends compliance checks were performed in all of Grand Countys communities. The nine businesses where violations took place during last weekends compliance checks are:Kremmling Quarter Circle Saloon, Kremmling Westend Liquor, Shop N Hop Food Store, Kum & Go, and Los Amigos Mexican RestaurantGrand Lake Pancho & Leftys, Grand PizzaParshall Parshall General StoreWinter Park Buckets Saloon.Officers from the Grand County Sheriffs Office, Fraser-Winter Park Police Department, Granby Police Department and the Kremmling Police Department conducted the compliance checks Friday and Saturday, April 12-13.Under Colorado state law, the selling of an alcoholic beverage to an underage person is a Class Two misdemeanor. It is punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and/or 12 months imprisonment. As in the past, these latest county-wide compliance checks were conducted with the cooperation of Grand Futures Prevention Coalition, a nonprofit organization that deals with youth substance abuse issues in Grand, Moffat and Routt counties. To conduct the compliance checks, Grand Futures supplied volunteers under the age of 21 who attempt to purchase or be served alcohol. These underage volunteers worked as a team with law enforcement officers. After entering a business, if the underage individual who was seeking to purchase alcohol was asked for their date of birth or age by the business owner or server, they were provided with accurate information. No false IDs were used.If they were denied the purchase, the underage person then left the business. While the attempted purchase took place, a plainclothes officer was nearby observing. Those employees of businesses who were caught serving or selling alcohol will be charged and face court action. Also, those businesses involved in the sale to an underage person may face repercussions, such as when their liquor licenses come up for renewal.To avoid making the mistake of breaking this state law, local businesses are urged by local law enforcement agencies to obtain training for their employees. This training on proper procedures for determining and handling underage persons is offered through the TIPS program run by the Grand Futures office in Granby.Funding for the April compliance checks in Grand County was awarded to all the local law enforcement agencies from the state of Colorado. The money is in the form of a grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention through the Colorado Department of Revenues Liquor Enforcement Division.


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